The present invention relates generally to mechanical fuel pump registers of the type having resettable cost and volume counters for registering the cost and volume amounts of each fuel delivery. More particularly the present invention relates to a new and improved pulse generator unit for fuel pump registers for generating an electrical pulse train with an electrical pulse for each predetermined volume and/or cost amount of fuel delivered for remote registering of the volume and/or cost amount of each fuel delivery.
The pulse generator unit of the present invention is particularly adaptable for use with fuel pump registers of the type (shown and described in U.S. Pat. No. 2,814,444 of Harvey N. Bliss dated Nov. 25, 1967 and entitled "Register") having a supporting frame with upright side frames and two oppositely facing pairs of resettable cost and volume counters with respective banks of coaxial wheels mounted between the side frames for registering the cost and volume amounts of fuel delivered.
Pulse generator units have been disclosed for use in conjunction with fuel pump registers. For example, a pulse generator unit which is mounted on the side of a register and suitably connected to generate a pulse for each predetermined amount of fuel delivered for operating remote postpay equipment is shown and described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,878,377 of Peter P. Bruno, dated Apr. 15, 1975 and entitled "Fuel Fluid Delivery Control and Registration System". A pulse generator unit has also been described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,200,785 of Alfred C. Evans and Bruno S. Smilgys dated Apr. 30, 1980 and entitled "Pulse Generator Unit For Fuel Pump Register". The pulse generator unit shown and described in the latter patent was employed in connection with the volume totalizing assembly provided on a crossbar extending between side frames of the register to register the total volume of fuel delivered. A pulse generating device for operating an auxiliary counter and synchronizing the digital readout of an auxiliary counter with the readout of a fuel pump register is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,543,008 of William Kes, Arthur W. Kroll, and William L. Herron dated Nov. 24, 1970 and entitled "Pulse Generating Device".
The present invention is a new and improved pulse generator unit which is particularly adapted to be installed on an existing fuel pump register for actuation by a lowest order cost counter wheel. The pulse generator unit is adapted to communicate with circuitry for remote readout equipment. The pulse generator unit provides an electrical pulse train with an electrical pulse for each predetermined cost amount of delivered fuel and also provides means for preventing the generation of a spurious pulse due to a mechanical rebound of the register.